Bringing Many Sons to Glory

Book excerpt: The title of this book, "Bringing Many Sons to Glory," is a direct quote from the Bible (Hebrews 2:10). The quote sums up what Jesus is all about-why he came, what he preached, why he died, and what he is up to now. Yet, churches and individual believers often hold tenaciously to two views at odds with that quote. First, they think God will bring few rather than many sons to glory. Second, they think most humans will end up in hell, a place of eternal shame and pain, not glory. What are we to do with these conflicting views? The gospel, which means "good news," fits with bringing many sons to glory, but the shame and pain message is an asterisk gospel: "Jesus saves . . . *but most people will still be lost." That is devastatingly bad news since it damns so many and damns them so horribly. It also makes God look mean rather than loving. Why do people cling to such bad news? One reason is that they think the Bible teaches it and therefore they must accept it by faith. "Bringing Many Sons to Glory" looks at Bible passages relevant to both sides of the question. Sometimes this involves observing a distinction between related but different words in Bible text, such as the Greek krisis, krima, and krino, all of which are translated judgment but usually relate respectively to a trial, a verdict, and a sentence. There is a great difference between being on trial, being convicted, and being sentenced for a crime, but in English each one may be called a judgment. "Bringing Many Sons to Glory" shows how this one biblical teaching (about judgment), resolves much of the conflict over man's final destiny. Other passages and teachings also shed light without turning the book into a difficult theological treatise or an intricate word study of the type produced by and intended for professionals. In just under 200 easy-to-read pages, the author brings the Bible and common sense together to defend God's goodness and offer realistic hope to all who seek it. An alphabetical index enables the reader to quickly access 136 related topics, from "age of accountability" and "annihilation" to "reconciliation" and "wrath of God." A second index lists 210 Bible references and indicates the page numbers where they are applied to the "many-sons-to-glory" concept. A unique feature of this book is its "Prospectus." On the page facing the Table of Contents, the prospectus lists eight questions related to human destiny and indicates pages where each is discussed. For example, Question 1 is "Will evil exist in some form eternally or will it disappear from the universe completely?" (See pages 44, 100-102, 106, 169-170, 174-176.) Baldwin, 20 years a pastor of evangelical churches and a prolific author, traces his own journey from a troubling asterisk gospel to what the Christmas angel called "good news of great joy that will be for all the people." In "Bringing Many Sons to Glory," Baldwin says that God, who is love, is also wise enough and powerful enough and good enough and big enough to ensure that glory becomes the final destination of many sons and daughters, including some we think least likely to be there.